A QUICK LOOK AT PORTLAND: The Pilots begin the 2005 baseball season at the Oakland A’s Spring Training Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz., taking on Missouri, Kansas State and Northwestern. Portland is scheduled to play 16 games on the road to open the year (the most of any West Coast Conference school) before hosting Pacific (Calif.) for a three-game homestand starting on March 11 at Joe Etzel Field.

Head coach Chris Sperry begins his eighth season as Portland’s skipper, posting a 122-247-1 (.331) career record. Sperry returns 17 letterwinners including seven position starters, two starting pitchers and three redshirts from a 2004 squad that finished 12-44. The addition of 12 talented newcomers, highlighted by seasoned transfers Jason Krohn and Justin Ehlers, gives the program an immediate boost.

Junior outfielder Travis Vetters, a second team all-WCC selection after hitting .397 in league action a year ago, will lead the Pilots at the plate. Junior designated hitter Nik Kosach joined Vetters with an average above .300 last season and along with senior catcher Joe Watson, will be depended on to produce on offense.

Junior Matthew Peters was Portland’s No. 1 starter last season, but will get a chance to swing the bat and play first base in the early going. Peters will start at first base and has shown good power in the batter’s box. Sophomores Given Kutz, Josh Roberts and Sean Sargent will anchor the pitching staff, while freshman Ari Ronick will start on Sunday.

In a preseason vote of WCC head coaches, Portland is picked to finish eighth overall.

ABOUT MISSOURI: The Tigers open their season against the Pilots at the Oakland A’s Spring Training Tournament. Missouri posted a 38-23-1 record in 2004, the most wins since the 1991 season for the Tigers. A runner-up finish at the Big 12 Conference Tournament led to a second-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Mizzou head coach Tim Jamieson begins his 11th season and returns 11 pitchers and four position starters from last year’s squad while adding 18 newcomers.

ABOUT KANSAS STATE: The Wildcats were 26-30 overall last year, but struggled to a 4-23 Big 12 Conference record. Junior captain Steve Murphy batted .307 for KSU last season to earn all-league honors. Head coach Brad Hill enters his second year at the helm and has brought in 25 newcomers to supplement just eight returning letterwinners.

ABOUT NORTHWESTERN: The Wildcats will open their season on Thursday against Kansas State after compiling a 26-28-1 record a year ago. Northwestern returns 15 letterwinners, four position starters and two pitchers from 2004. Head coach Paul Stevens brings a 448-484-5 career record into his 18th year at Northwestern.

SERIES NOTES: Missouri holds a 5-1 lead over UP in the all-time series, including two wins at last year’s Oakland A’s Tournament. Mizzou bombed the Pilots 13-0 then squeaked out a 2-1 victory on consecutive days. Portland holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series with Northwestern dating back to the 2000 season, while the Pilots and Kansas State will meet for the first time this week.

SEASON-OPENERS UNDER SPERRY: Portland is 3-4 in season-openers under current head coach Chris Sperry. The Pilots have lost their last two openers, falling at New Mexico State 15-9 in 2003 and losing to Nevada 16-2 at the Oakland A’s Tournament last season. UP fared better in 2002, defeating Northwestern 6-1, once again at the Oakland A’s Spring Training Tournament.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: With the Portland weather unpredictable and often wet in February and early March, it is no coincidence that the Pilots will play their first 16 games away from home. Following the tournament in Phoenix, UP will play a four-game series against Washington State in Pasco, Wash., then head south to UC Davis for a three-game set. The Pilots will take part in the Banana Belt Tournament in Lewiston, Idaho on March 4-6 and then play Washington in Seattle before hosting Pacific (Calif.) on March 11-13 at Joe Etzel Field. The 16 consecutive road games are the most of any school in the West Coast Conference.

CHANGEUPS: Juniors Travis Vetters and Matthew Peters were undoubtedly Portland’s most productive players last season and both will be expected to carry a large amount of responsibility in 2005 as well ... but in different capacities. Vetters led the Pilots in nearly every hitting category while playing third base for most of the 2004 season. This year Vetters will move to the outfield, playing right field day-in and day-out. Peters, meanwhile, developed into UP’s No. 1 starter and most consistent pitcher, but he will begin the season focused solely on playing first base and providing some more pop in the lineup with his bat.

TAKING IT FOR THE TEAM: Junior second baseman Gustaf Little is currently second on Portland’s career hit by pitch chart after getting hit eight times during the 2004 season, moving his career total to 19. He has quite a ways to go to reach first place though as Cory Lunde (1999-02) was hit 44 times in his career.

TOPPING THE CHARTS: Travis Vetters had a memorable season at the plate in 2004. Vetters was seeing beach balls out of opposing pitcher’s hands during conference play, lighting up his counterparts for a .397 batting average during WCC games. He set a new Portland single-season record with 221 at bats on the year and also cracked the single-season charts in hits, placing third with 78. His four triples tied for fifth all-time and he moved into a tie for eighth place after being hit by nine pitches.

HEAD COACH CHRIS SPERRY: Entering his eighth season, Sperry is the 21st head coach in school history. In seven seasons, Sperry has a 122-247-1 (.331) career overall record and a 70-136-1 (.341) career WCC record. He has the third-most wins in school history and recorded his 100th career victory with an 8-5 win over San Diego on May 12, 2002 in San Diego, Calif.

Sperry is a member of the Lefty Gomez committee of the ABCA, which annually gives an award for outstanding achievement in college baseball.

PILOTS SIGN FOUR EARLY: Head coach Chris Sperry announced the signing of four high school recruits during the early signing period for the 2006 season. The class consists of two high school teammates in Arizona and a pair of Washington standouts from the Seattle area. Infielder Sean Nicol and catcher/outfielder Paul Crowder hail from Phoenix, Ariz. and Brophy College Prep, while pitcher Blaine Hardy (Edmonds, Wash./Edmonds Woodway HS) and infielder Charlie Herche (Seattle, Wash./O’Dea HS) will all don a Pilot uniform next season.